Public Enemy Vinyl Records

Public Enemy redefined what hip-hop could do. Across a run of Def Jam records between 1987 and 1991 — particularly It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Fear of a Black Planet — Chuck D's writing, Flavor Flav's hype work and the Bomb Squad's sample-collage productions produced the most politically and sonically ambitious rap records of the period.

The vinyl pressings of those early Def Jam records are sought after for the production work. The Bomb Squad's layered sample work — sometimes hundreds of sources per track — was tracked specifically for the LP format, and the records reward careful playback.

Best Public Enemy Albums on Vinyl

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
— The masterpiece. "Bring the Noise", "Don't Believe the Hype", "Rebel Without a Pause". A foundational hip-hop record.

Fear of a Black Planet (1990)
— The follow-up. "Fight the Power", "911 Is a Joke", "Welcome to the Terrordome".

Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black (1991)
— The third masterpiece. "Can't Truss It", "By the Time I Get to Arizona".

Yo! Bum Rush the Show (1987)
— Their debut. The blueprint, before the Bomb Squad's sample work fully kicked in. "Public Enemy No. 1", "Sophisticated Bitch".

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Hip-Hop / Rap